President Zardari signs Pakistan Army, Navy, Air Force bills into law

President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday ratified bills related to three armed forces, a day after they were sailed through the Senate.

Zardari’s assent to the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has made them into law.

The Senate on Friday approved bills related to three armed forces with majority votes, aligning them with the 27th Constitutional Amendment, a day after they were approved by the federal cabinet and then the National Assembly.

Armed forces: changes to laws approved by NA

The bills were approved through clause-by-clause voting in the Upper House.

The bills were cleared by the Lower House on Thursday, without being referred to the relevant standing committees for further deliberation.

Opposition members, particularly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), remained absent during the proceedings, while lawmakers from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) staged strong protests against the bills.

The amendments to the military acts are part of the government’s broader strategy to align key laws with the newly enacted Constitutional Amendment Act, 2025, which establishes a Federal Constitutional Court under Article 175B of the Constitution. The changes aim to ensure the consistency of these laws with the new constitutional framework.

In a statement outlining the objectives of the amendments, the government stressed that the bills are designed to facilitate the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court and regulate its procedure.

Speaking in the assembly on Thursday, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the amendments had been introduced to align the 27th Amendment with the existing law. He had explained that the tenure of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) would be five years from the date of appointment.

This will lead to Chief of the Army (COAS) Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir having a reset to his tenure as the army chief upon his appointment as the CDF.

Certain changes had been made in the Air Force and Navy, Tarar had added.